Cricket Betting Tips

Continuity at Edgbaston

I was pleased to see Warwickshire have finally confirmed the (latest) worst kept secret in cricket, that Dougie Brown is to take over from Ashley Giles as the new director of cricket for the county champions.

The change at the top hasn’t had much impact on their odds to win the county championship, as they are still favourites. The bwin cricket betting section is currently quoting the Bears at 4/1 to retain their title.

The county is in a good place at the moment, major surgery isn’t needed and continuity seems like the logical way forward. So in promoting Dougie Brown to the roll, that’s exactly what Colin Povey has done.

In a way it’s a very hard act for Dougie to follow, chances are that in the immediate future he is not going to be as successful as Giles has been. Nevertheless I believe this is a common sense appointment, and if it doesn’t work out, I for one won’t be blaming Povey for making this decision.

Ok, so coaches such as David Saker and Otis Gibson with international experience applied for the post along with around 40 others, but again, as I have already stated above, major surgery wasn’t needed, so why bring in someone who may want to start from scratch with their own ideas?

A good solid season of consolidation and an improved performance in the T20 will do for me, that may not be a very positive attitude, and it obviously will be disappointing if the Bears are not in contention for the county championship, but the point I’m trying to make is I don’t expect Brown to be the finished article in his first season, and to be as successful as Giles was last season.

Did finance play a part in the decision? Was Brown a cheaper option than Saker or Gibson? Possibly, I know that the county aren’t in the strongest of financial positions these days after the building of the South Stand in 2011.

But whatever the reasons for Dougie Brown’s appointment, as a follower of the Bears, I’m happy with it.